Catherine Reinhart

I pray.

I make art.

I drink coffee in the shower.

My artistic voice is one of second chances. I create fiber works, works on paper, and site-specific textile installations with reused materials from a state of irrepressible hope, a pessimist driven to create optimistic art. The unique fiber process I have developed grants me the time and space to understand the themes of domesticity, motherhood, and the redemption of forgotten or undignified things.

Textiles make an effective bridge to the audience because of the prevalence of cloth in our lives. They reference the domestic sphere , which is inherently social and familiar. Through my current themes I join the conversation in the contemporary art world regarding the role and value of the domestic sphere. By using discarded textiles and the ritual actions of the domestic arena—stacking, sorting, washing, pilling—I am honoring the homeward-oriented life.

Through site-specific, immersive, and often collaborative fiber installations, I foster audience engagement. This emergent art form challenges my audience to experience the work socially. By creating an atmosphere dependent on the works’ relationship to the space and to other viewers, I can nurture the social interaction necessary in the reclamation process. This shared experience creates unexpected ties and is a redemptive and powerful antidote to an increasingly divided and alarmist culture, a culture which is dismissive to the powerful acts of daily care that dominate motherhood.

As an artist, I give value to objects through my making, and I convince others that objects are worthy of their consideration. I explore ideas circuitously, and approach and investigate ideas thoroughly by working in various media. Deep observation is powerful; I believe that when you deeply observe objects, you give them value. Ultimately, my passion lies in finding and granting value; in lending hope and leaning in to understand complex issues for myself and with my community through my art making.